ITPS - In London, Canada

 

The 2025 ITPS symposium was another great opportunity to meet expert and novice flight testers and learn important flight test insights on a wide range of topics.  I chose to drive from Detroit in light snowy weather.  I am so glad I live in a modern society with heat and shelter.  Not sure I could have survived in the American Revolutionary days.  At the Canadian border, we were stopped as we learned that you can't enter Canada to give a talk if you are there for more than 5 days without a visa.  Fortunately we weren't.  Arriving at the Hardrock Hotel I was informed they  had a huge assortment of classic guitars and vinyl records that you can check out for free. Great for me to practice for my upcoming performance of "Carol of the Bells"

London, Canada
Hard Rock Hotel- Guitar




 






It is very encouraging to see another cadre of flight testers gaining the key competencies necessary for becoming "4C" (i.e., Competent, Confident, Courageous, Committed) FTEs. Perhaps none more inspiring than Makenna Kuzyk, one of the new ITPS Master of Science graduates, who was awarded the best presentation for her flight test thesis research on "Acoustic Detection of Vortex Ring States." Makenna is a model for how to elevate the FTE profession, making the decision (and sacrifice) to start her career by equipping herself with graduate-level foundational skills necessary to be a respected professional flight tester. Two other talented young FTEs were Calaya and Sofia

Makenna - Top Presenter
The new woman FTEs





SFTE leadership was well represented by 5 current and former board members and two chapter presidents, 3 of whom gave presentations. My call to attendees for elevating flight test organization FTE standards through organizational adoption of SFTE's Recommended Practices (https://lnkd.in/gbJBNXex) was well received and echoed by Michael Mulquiney's presentation, "To Test is the Answer", which called upon SETP and SFTE to take the lead to promote flight tester standards, especially in the UAS space.

ITPS Graduating Class

Talking about SFTE Recommended Practices

Panel Discussion hosted by Billie Flynn, Rogers Smith, Astronaut Kelly Latimer, me, Ricardo Traven, James Sergeant


Location: London, ON, Canada

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